A paintjob with passion for Trundle: the town that won't say die

By Melanie Pearce Multiplatform Reporter

When ABBA aficionados visit the New South Wales country town of Trundle for a festival this weekend they may be pleasantly surprised at the clean, bright appearance of the town. But behind the fresh paint is the story of labour of love from locals who refuse to let Trundle become a statistic.

Four years ago the peeling paint, broken shop windows and rickety verandas at Trundle in central west New South Wales were a dusty symbol of so-called rural decline.

That made at least one young Trundle farmer, Andrew Rawsthorne so angry he got active and a town rejuvenation project was born, running on little more than hope.

"I really hate the way some people say small regional communities are dying or going to die," Mr Rawsthorne said.

In some sections it's almost become a mantra...I've been hearing it for years and it really annoys the hell out of me."

He says four years ago almost 50% of the shops in the main street were empty.

"The other 50% had all changed hands at least once or twice during the drought which wasn't a very good or sustainable place for the business community to be," he said.

Fast forward four years and the town touch up project has clocked up 830 hours work provided by 80 volunteers and raised more than $85,000.

The Trundle Hotel gets a facelift

The revamp is now reaching a climax and volunteers are undertaking the most ambitious part of the plan.

Apart from the breadth of the main street, which is reputed to be the second widest in Australia, the main thing that grabs the eye of any traveller is the grand dame of the Trundle Hotel.

Two-storeys high and taking up nearly one whole side of the street, it's built of 30 centimetre thick pise or rammed earth and has the second longest timber hotel balcony in Australia.

It was built in 1912 at a cost of $5000 pounds, estimated to be about $2 million in today's money but it needs a facelift including painting the exterior, replacing broken windows in empty ground-storey shops and repairing the deteriorating balcony.

Speaking from a ladder as he slaps paint on the hotel walls, Mr Rawsthorne says it's a massive project.

"We expect we're going to spend about $47,000 over the next two years working on the hotel," he explained.

"Overall to fully restore the hotel it would probably cost just under $300,000."

Like the hotel where bar staff pick up a paintbrush in their time off, all of Trundle's shop owners that have received makeovers must contribute labour or cash.

"We won't go and start working on a building unless they're committed in some form," Mr Rawsthorne said.

The Trundle Hotel is the town's watering hole and main function venue for events such as sports presentations and live music while up a set of creaking wooden stairs rustic accommodation is provided.

Big plans for derelict shops

A large section of the building downstairs remains empty and has been for decade but Andrew Rawsthorne and his team hope to restore them to provide spaces for not-for-profit groups.

"We're renovating a lot of the worst of the worst derelict shops that won't get filled any other way," he said.

Those groups include Landcare which hopes to start a local producers' group, the country children's charity Royal Far West and there are also dreams a space will be provided to start Trundle's first art gallery.

Across the wide main street from the hotel is the Trundle cafe and general store where owner Wendy O'Brien Turner renovated her shop in 2011.

She says she started before the town revamp began but she appreciates its work and the boost in confidence it's given many business owners.

"It's really changed the look of the town. I get a lot of passing traffic and they all comment on how good it looks," she said.

It looked absolutely dreadful [before], unappealing, I'd imagine people driving through would just think "yuck" and keep going."

It's heartening to hear for Andrew Rawsthorne who explains why as a busy farmer he gives up his weekends to volunteer as a town renovator.

"Small communities only falter when good men and women do nothing," he said just before he put down his paint brush and headed into the pub for a drink as a reward after a hard day's work.

Trundle will be looking its beautified best when it's inundated with visitors this weekend for its fifth annual Trundle Abba Festival.